Negotiations between Major League Baseball and the MLBPA appear close to delivering an outline for how the 2020 season will proceed in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the deal will see both sides commit to playing as close to a 162-game season as possible despite the delayed start to the year. The goal is at least 100 games, and the league is prepared to play into October with weekly doubleheaders to make that happen. That would mean a World Series in November, with games moved either indoors or to warmer neutral sites if necessary.
There is also some consideration to expanding the playoff format to compensate for lost revenue, while players will be credited with a full year’s worth of service time assuming that a season is played.
It’s not clear what will happen with the amateur draft, which has been a sticking point. What we do know is that it could be a very late baseball season this year. Much depends on when it actually starts, assuming it even does, and that’s the big question mark no matter what deal is made.
